Cartoonist draws up book plans after Optical Express laser eye surgery
London, UK - For years aspiring writer and cartoonist Anneli Winter has dreamed of turning her doodles into a career. Now, the 28-year-old from London is planning to publish her first book after treatment from Optical Express.
Anneli, a graphic design studio manager from Wimbledon, suffered from short-sightedness with astigmatism. She mostly wore glasses as contact lenses made her eyes feel dry.
“I’ve wanted to have laser eye surgery for about 10 years now, but I couldn’t afford it.
“I’ve never been comfortable wearing glasses as I’m very clumsy and used to drop them and break them. I just wasn’t a ‘glasses person’ – some people wear glasses and suit them, but I never did,” said Anneli.
When Anneli inherited some money this year she knew exactly how she wanted to spend it; on laser eye surgery that would allow her to get rid of her glasses and boost her writing career. After a free consultation, Anneli had iLASIK laser eye surgery at Optical Express’ Harley Street clinic carried out by expert ophthalmic surgeon, Manek Patel.
Despite her determination to address her poor eyesight, she admits she was a little nervous about undergoing the procedure. “I watched footage of laser eye surgery online. It was good and bad – at least I knew what to expect,” she said.
“The Optical Express team knew that I was a bit anxious so they took time to explain what would happen. Everyone was so nice to me that I calmed down quickly.”
The wannabe cartoonist was amazed to notice the results almost straight away.
“It was incredible,” said Anneli, who is originally from Sweden. “My eyesight was better than it had been with glasses on after only a few days.
“It’s made a big difference to how I approach my cartoons because I can see much more detail than I could with my glasses and it’s more enjoyable now that I can go outside to draw in warm weather. When I was wearing glasses, I would get hot and sweaty underneath them so in summer weather I was forced to draw indoors.”
The talented artist was so grateful to Optical Express staff for correcting her vision that she drew a special cartoon strip to thank them and posted it on online. The illustrations tell the story of Stumpy, a T-rex dinosaur who like Anneli, achieves better than 20/20 vision after undergoing laser eye surgery.
Optical Express area manager Tom Thorne said: “We receive thousands of thank-you cards, emails and tweets every year, but Anneli’s contribution was the first cartoon we’ve ever seen.
“We’re delighted that she is so pleased with the results and we feel privileged to have played a role in helping her achieve her career ambitions.”
Since undergoing laser eye surgery, Anneli has spent several months working on a humorous comic collection aimed at adults which is now being considered by a number of agents. She also has plans to write and illustrate a children’s book.
Anneli added: “The first thing I wanted to see when I recovered from my laser eye surgery was my marker pens so that I could draw again.
“Being free to write and sketch without my glasses has been a new lease of life. Having laser eye surgery has been one of the best things I’ve done and I wouldn’t hesitate to recommend it to anyone who wants to ditch their glasses or contacts lenses.”
By 2015, it is estimated there will have been at least 2 million refractive procedures performed in the UK and Ireland. The surge in demand is being driven by both an ageing population and heightened awareness of new techniques and procedures.
ENDS
Notes to Editors:
For further information or images regarding Optical Express services please contact oepr@bigpartnership.co.uk or call 0131 557 5252.
About Optical Express:
The Optical Express Group was founded in 1991 and is now a global leader of selected healthcare services. Optical Express is a world leading provider of refractive surgery with its surgeons having carried out over 2 million procedures worldwide.
In order to ensure Optical Express is consistently providing the highest possible standard of care, the company has the expertise of their International Medical Advisory board, a collective of skilled and distinguished members of the international ophthalmic community who determine procedures and policies at Optical Express. This resource pool is unique to Optical Express.
The company employs over 2,000 people, utilising ophthalmologists and optometrists across more than 170 locations throughout the United Kingdom, Ireland, Croatia, Germany and The Netherlands.
